WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. ? The Seahawks of Northwood University scored two goals late in the second half to defeat Embry-Riddle 3-2 on Tuesday in The Sun Conference action.
It was a disappointing game for the Eagles, as the squad fought hard for 90 minutes, but could not find a way to stop the surge from Northwood in the final minutes.
The first half proved to be a defensive battle, with both teams containing the ball well inside the box. The Eagles created several more opportunities off strong combination plays, resulting in a 9-3 advantage in shots.
The only real threat for the Eagles came in the 40th minute when Joonas Siikala flicked a pass on to a sprinting Jere Kolehmainen, who then carried the ball forward and fired a shot to the near post. Viktor Bergstrand outstretched his arms to safely deflect the ball out of bounds.
With 15 seconds remaining in the half, the Eagles got on the scoreboard. A pass from Michael Donald inside the Seahawks' six-yard box was picked up by Marco Harleman, who then sent the ball to Ryan Woods. Woodsy squared to the goal and ripped a shot to the top corner to put the Eagles up 1-0 heading into the intermission.
The Seahawks opened the second half with a lot of energy, taking two threatening shots in the first five minutes. The physical contact between the two teams increased and at 57:26, Joe Yoffe was taken down inside the Seahawks' box. AJ Barrett lined up for the penalty and drove the ball to the bottom corner to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead.
Eight minutes after the penalty, Jere Kolehmainen netted the first of the three-goal comeback for Northwood. The play started when Alvaro Romo accelerated down the field and sent a pass inside to Kolehmainen, who quickly put the ball away.
The Eagles held Northwood for the next 20 minutes, while trying to put their own security goal in the net, but with just five minutes remaining in the contest, the Eagles conceded goal number two. A shot from Kolhemanien was blocked by Bergstrand, but Romo was able to convert the rebound and tie the game at two goals apiece.
In the 88th minute, Northwood scored the game-winner off a corner kick from Anders Suilisalo. The cross landed inside a crowded Embry-Riddle box and after one bounce, Tom Stringer connected with the ball and sent it into the back of the net.
Embry-Riddle now sits third in the conference behind Northwood and Warner Southern, who are tied for first with a 6-2-1 record. The Eagles will play two more conference games before the final seeding for the tournament is decided. They face St. Thomas on Oct. 28 and SCAD on Nov. 1 in Daytona Beach., but the Eagles will first travel to Columbia, Ky. to face No.1 Lindsey Wilson on Saturday.
